One of the biggest challenges when traveling to new places is not looking like a clueless tourist while you're there. The Triposo travel belt on Indiegogo is raising funds to help make intrepid explorers look less lost when they're walking around.

The belt works by connecting with a cable to the headphone jack on your smartphone. Open up the Triposo travel guide app, select a destination, and choose the "buzz me there" option. The app communicates with the belt, which then vibrates at different spots to tell you to go straight, turn back, turn left, or turn right.

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The belt is certainly a fun concept. It could keep you from standing there with a map or staring at your smartphone, like the tourist you are. It's going for a $50 pledge with an overall funding goal of $10,000.

Triposo has a working prototype of the belt. The audio jack approach is a little unusual. It means you have to contend with a cord, but it also helps to prolong your phone's battery life. Finally, the Triposo team assures backers that the belt will clear airport security, though you still have to take it off.

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Freelance writer Amanda C. Kooser covers gadgets and tech news with a twist for CNET's Crave blog. When not wallowing in weird gadgets and iPad apps for cats, she can be found tinkering with her 1956 DeSoto.
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